Mules and Men (P.S.)

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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 813 EAN: 9780061350177 ISBN: 0061350176 Label: Harper Perennial Modern Classics Manufacturer: Harper Perennial Modern Classics Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 368 Publication Date: 2008-01-01 Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics Release Date: 2008-01-08 Studio: Harper Perennial Modern Classics
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Editorial Reviews: Mules and Men is a treasury of black America's folklore as collected by a famous storyteller and anthropologist who grew up hearing the songs and sermons, sayings and tall tales that have formed an oral history of the South since the time of slavery. Returning to her hometown of Eatonville, Florida, to gather material, Zora Neale Hurston recalls "a hilarious night with a pinch of everything social mixed with the storytelling." Set intimately within the social context of black life, the stories, "big old lies," songs, Vodou customs, and superstitions recorded in these pages capture the imagination and bring back to life the humor and wisdom that is the unique heritage of African Americans.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: funny Comment: this is the first book I read by zora neale hurston, truly not the last. I enjoy reading this book. Customer Rating: Summary: Wonderful folklore, questionable Hoodoo Comment: I'm a student/practitioner of Hoodoo and this book was on my "to read" list. The book consists of two parts, the first contains folklore Hurston gathered from her hometown in FL in the 1920s and 30's. This section of the book is wonderful and well worth the price. The second half of the book is about Hoodoo, and while very entertaining, the authenticity is questionable. Hurston gives three accounts of her initiation into Hoodoo. Yet, during the roughly the same period of time, Harry M. Hyatt, could not find a single person of the 1,600 people he interviewed, who had experienced, participated in, or had given the type of initiation Hurston claims to have undergone. Likewise, there is no reference that Reverend Watson, whom Hurston claims gave her, her last initiation, was ever a practitioner of Hoodoo. Scholars in this area also feel Hurston took experiences in places like Haiti and gave them a US locations, plagiarized some of her material from other authors, and inserted herself into situations that happened earlier and of which she had no part. When all is said, I recommend the book for the folklore it contains, but take the Hoodoo with a grain of salt. Customer Rating: Summary: Great Book! Comment: This is a great book! It's a must have if you have a collection. Thanks! Customer Rating: Summary: Born and Bred Southerner Heah! Comment: I love this book. I can remember my grandmama and grand daddy and nem talkin' up a storm. These are real stories and people. It made me laugh and bring back fond memories. One writer said that Zora was often scorned by the educated, black groups who had disdain for their own folk culture, the person was so right. You could find the same scorn by the educated ministers who held pure scorn for any retentions of so called "primitive Africansim" in black American worship service. They did not consider it dignified - code phrase- not imitating white forms of worship. These same knuckleheads exist today. They espeically hated the "ring shout" and did everything in their power to stop the practice. Big Sweet and nem were something else. A woman with a kind heart, but did not mind cutting you up, if you messed with her. Now we all know a Big Sweet. My favorite sayings and quotes are: Nat'chal Man Hit a straight lick with a crooked stick Work de fat offa your head Don't let de gator beat you to the pond Looky-dere - I am going to put a knot your head so big when you walk down the street people gonna say looky-dere, looky-dere. Customer Rating: Summary: The Queen of Black Folklore Comment: Whne I was 12 years old in the Summer of 1977, I found this book at the local library. I immediately saw the connection between this and the tales my father and older Blacks told around town, and this led ot my lifelong interest in folklore. This book was actually quite revolutionary. Up to this time, most educated Blalcks scorned the folk culture of their own people and black foklore collections were usually written by whites. While a few (such as Edward CL Adams and Julia Peterkin) got it right, the results were often patronzing at best and racist mockery at worst) as few Blacks of that time would be candid with white folklore collectors. Zora went back to her hometown of Eatonville, Fla to the front porches and juke joints that she knew and got it down right. The tales themselves are very entertaining as is the frame story of her adventures with the locals. If you get this and Adams' "Tales of the Congaree (and B.A. Botkin's Anthology "Treasury of American Folklore"), youll get a good intro to Black American Folklore. Enjoy. More Reviews